1. Technical Field
Aspects of this document relate generally to valve assemblies for pool pump systems.
2. Background Art
In an effort to save energy, many states have recently enacted new energy standards and codes that require multispeed water pumps for use with swimming pool filtration systems. In theory, these multispeed pumps save electricity. Multi-speed pumps, however, are problematic to cleaning systems specifically designed to run on either a high-pressure head or a low-pressure head—not both. Non-limiting examples of cleaning systems typically designed to run on high-pressure heads include rotating pop-up head (nozzles) cleaners mounted in either the floor or wall and of ratcheting and non-ratcheting type, and pressure-side cleaners. In-floor cleaning systems can cause frequent fluctuations in head pressure as they switch from zone to zone. In particular, devices requiring a low-pressure head do not work with the high-pressure head and may be damaged by a high-pressure head.
Water features are an example of pool features that operate on a low-head pressure. Some water features have delicate features or are constructed to run on lower flows at a low-pressure head. The low speeds of the new multispeed pumps enable these features to be run efficiently. However, manual daily attention or expensive automated controls and valves may be required to shut-off water features with delicate features while the pump system runs a high-pressure head in-floor cleaning system when the pump is turned up to high speed. The water features can become damaged if the pressure is allowed to fluctuate cyclically with the in-floor system and the changes in head pressure will widely vary the affect being presented by the device.
Chlorinators are an example of a device for which regularly fluctuating pressure can cause problems. Some chlorinators rely on an air bubble to keep tabs dry until lower tabs erode. Fluctuating pressures that occur with multispeed pumps or in-floor cleaning systems compress and decompress the air bubbles causing the tabs to repeatedly flood and drain. This ultimately erodes that tabs and can significantly reduce their life and over chlorinate a swimming pool or other water feature.
Many pool cleaning systems like pop-up in-floor and pop-up wall heads (nozzles), whether stationary or rotating, or robotic or other pressure side devices are designed to run on high head pressure which is required to lift the heads (nozzles) in the floor and generate the cleaning jets and/or to propel them around the pool. When the pump is in low-pressure head mode the heads (nozzles) in the floor can become damaged by being only partially lifted. Also the control valves that direct water to the in-floor cleaner heads (nozzles) and the robot cleaners themselves are subjected to extended run times that are not enough to effectively actuate them but will wear out their drive mechanisms prematurely due to the low speed pumps running extended hours in low speed filtration cycles.